Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material that has been mined and incorporated into more than 3,000 commercial products, including building materials and non-building related products. Asbestos and other mineral fibers may be present as introduced contamination in soils, or as settled dust on various horizontal surfaces in buildings. Exposure to asbestos fibers from natural sources or from activities using asbestos-containing materials can produce debilitating health effects in humans. Asbestos aerosolization, or releasability, is the potential for fibrous asbestos structures that are present in a material or on a solid surface to become airborne when the source is disturbed by human activities or natural forces. The magnitude of the airborne concentration that can be generated from the release of asbestos is a function of the concentration of asbestos at the source, certain properties of the source matrix, the nature of the activity causing the source to be disturbed, and local environmental conditions.
Conventional testing methods for repeatable and representative measurement of asbestos or other particle aerosolization from materials (e.g., soil) are not suitable for field use. These conventional methods require removal and transport of the source matrix (e.g., soil), thereby potentially altering the physical characteristics of the matrix and subsequent aerosolization.
It is desirable to be able to determine repeatable and representative asbestos or other particle aerosolization concentrations from soil in-situ. Risk management decisions would be greatly enhanced by knowing the level of airborne asbestos or other particles that are expected when asbestos-containing sources are disturbed by specific human activities or natural forces under defined environmental conditions.